borrow

The definition of borrow means to take or receive something with the intention of giving it back.

A friend bringing a book to someone and that person returning it the following week is an example of to borrow.

Borrow means to take over something and use it as one's own.

To use an established theory as the basis of a scientific experiment is an example of borrowed.

borrow

transitive verb

,

intransitive verb

to take or receive (something) with the understanding that one will return it or an equivalent

to adopt or take over (something) as one's own: to borrow a theory

to adopt and naturalize (a word, etc.) from another language: the word depot was borrowed from French

Arith. in subtraction, to take (a unit of ten) from the next higher place in the minuend and add it to the next lower place: done when the number to be subtracted in the subtrahend is greater than the corresponding number in the minuend

Origin of borrow

Middle English borwen ; from Old English borgian, to borrow, lend, be surety for, akin to beorgan, to protect and amp; borough

borrow

To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it.

To adopt (an idea) as one's own.

to borrow the style, manner, or opinions of another

(linguistics) To adopt a word from another language.

(arithmetic) In a subtraction, to deduct (one) from a digit of the minuend and add ten to the following digit, in order that the subtraction of a larger digit in the subtrahend from the digit in the minuend to which ten is added gives a positive result.